The Stranger
By rsman26
Chapter 1
The night was warm, the air seemed rent with the deafing sound of silence. The world seemed fuzzy, unclear. He stood over a familiar body, a body he knew only to well. As he stared down at the lifeless form a million tiny thoughts and emotions pulled his brain in so many different directions he felt it would split in two. A breath, a heartbeat, that's all the silence, lasted. He was then brought back to reality be the sounds of so many cheers, cheers of the purest joy. He was then engulfed in the pull of what seemed like thousands of hands, all pulling, this way and that, he didn't mind, he was so relived it was over, after 7 long years it was finally over.
The boys name was Harry Potter, and the body was that of lord Voldemort, his enemy. The reason he was never able to live a normal life, the reason so many people he loved were dead. The reason he felt a pain so deep it seemed like no matter what he did nothing would ever ease it, nor erase the terrible memories that nightly terrorize his mind. Then he realized, for the first time, it really hit him; it was over, finally over. Well, now what.
He looked over at the people who meant so much to him, his friends, the only people he considered family. As he looked at them his eye landed upon one, one he felt the most deeply for, the one he truly loved more than any other. His eye landed on Hermione Granger, she had been with him, the whole way, right to the end. She stood by him, fought by him, and gave him the peace in the heat of this madness that gave him the strength to carry on, and ultimately win.
She looked up, caught his gaze, while her head rested on the shoulder of Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend. Tears streaked down her face, and in her sadness she shone with such beauty it seemed to pierce Harry's very soul. Under his cloak of invisibility, he asked if she and Ron would join him in the search for some finally answers. They went with him to the Headmasters office where after a brief conversation with his late headmaster, he felt tried and his mind was at ease, for the most part.
Afterwards they began to head back to the great hall and Harry caught Hermione's hand, "Can we talk for a minute," he said.
She nodded her approval, and Ron cast them both a weary look, "Its ok" she said to him, "go be with your family, they need your strength now, I'll be there in a minute".
He nodded and began walking down the hall. She turned and faced Harry, his piercing green eyes gazing into hers. She found it hard to look back it was like staring into a brilliant light.
She saw a mixture of relief and sadness there, but there was something else as well, something deeper, and while it was what she hoped for, for so long at the same time it scared her. "What is it Harry," she asked.
"I need to know something" He replied.
"What?" she asked finding nearly impossible to look him in the eyes.
"Its over, it's over now, and I need to know, what is going to happen, with us. I saw you kiss him, I saw you throw yourself in his arms and kiss him. I need to know do you love him/" he asked trying hard to mask the pain in his voice.
"Harry I…I do love him" she replied new tears forming in her eyes.
"What about us, you know how I feel about you, what about those nights, those night we spent alone, in the tent in the middle of nowhere, don't tell me they meant nothing to you" he asked his voice trembling slightly.
"Of course they mean a lot to me, I'll never forget them, but they were forged from a need, a desperate need to escape, he were both emotional wrecks, with death just a heartbeat away we gave each other the comfort we needed" she lied, those nights had meant more to her, so much more, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it.
"So that's it then, we can't be together now because you want him" he said with a mixture of pain and anger.
"It's not that easy Harry", she said.
"Why, why isn't it that easy, I love you Hermione, I always have, you know that." he nearly screamed.
"Harry you don't mean that, you", she started to say.
"Don't", he yelled, "don't say I don't mean it I do, look at me" he took her chin in his hand, "look in my eyes and find the truth there"
She looked up and saw he was being honest, she saw the love in his eyes. His beautiful eyes that could always cause her to feel as if she would melt under his gaze.
"Harry", she said softly, "Think about it, think about all the people we would hurt if we were together, Ron, Ginny, and all the rest of the Wealeys, can we really do that to them after all they've been through," she asked.
The words seemed to pierce his heart like a blade of ice. "So for that alone we have to deny ourselves the happiness we could have, Hermione, don't you love me" he asked, nearly pleading.
"Harry, it doesn't matter" she said.
"How can you say that? It's all that matters" he replied.
"I can't do it", she cried tearing her gaze away, "I can't hurt them, and neither can you and you know it. I don't know what the future will hold, I don't know what will happen, all I know is that we can't be together, it would destroy Ron, and I can't do that" she said through tears.
"So that's it then," he said slowly, almost coldly, "That's your final decision"
"Yes Harry it is" she said not able to look him in the eyes, fearing they would betray her true heart. "And in time you'll come to see it's the right one, now come on lets get back before they begin to worry," she said trying to take his hand.
He pulled his hand away and turned away from her, not wanting her to see the tears in his eyes. "You go ahead there's just something I have to get, I'll be along soon," he lied knowing now what he had to do.
"OK just don't take to long, you know everybody in there wants to be near you, you are their hero you know" she said with a slight smile on her face.
"OK I'll be along in a minute", he lied a second time.
She turned and slowly began to walk away from him. He watched for a long time, until she got smaller and smaller and then at last she was gone. He took a deep breath as he played the final encounter over and over in his head. He felt empty, cold inside. He fought so hard for so long to save his world, save it for the people he loved. And he had saved it, but now he knew he'd find no peace here. All he had were stark reminders of what he has lost, his parents, his godfather Sirius, Dumbledore, his headmaster, Fred, who was like a brother to him, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and so many more, The pain stabbed his heart fiercely, and he didn't think he would be able to handle it, not now. Not now that he's lost her, the only woman he's ever loved, he could ever love.
She loved another, and now he was alone. He didn't know why it came as a surprise, he was always alone, and now it seems like that's his fate, to forever be alone. He knew now what he had to do. He slowly walked back to where he'd placed his rut sack, picked it up and headed for the Gryffindor common room.
"Can I go in" he asked the portrait of the fat lady not knowing the password.
"Feel free," she smiled as the portrait swung open reviling the brightly lit common room.
He looked around, it was empty, everyone still in the great hall. He looked for what he knew would be the last time; he knew he would never return. Not now, not ever. He gazed at the room and thousands of tiny memories came flooding back, memories of good times spent laughing and wasting time with his friends. He sighed and slowly made his way to the top of the stairs and went over to the bed he slept in his time at Hogwarts. He found a piece of parchment and wrote a simple letter.
To whom it may concern,
I know many of you will not understand this, but I have to leave, and please, if you feel I've done this world a service then respect my wishes and do not try to find me. I don't know if I'll ever return, but until I do let me find my peace, wherever that may be.
Yours, H. Potter.
He places the letter on his pillow, and he turned and walked out, he left the room, then the castle. He walked and walked and walked, until he finally beyond the school's apprating barrier. He turned and looked one last time at the castle, the first and really the only place that had ever felt like a home to him. Will he ever find another? He doubted it but he had to try. He closed his eyes and concentrated on one thing, "Take me away from here, far away, I don't care where, just far away". He turned on the spot and then after a faint pop he was gone.
Meanwhile, people began to take notice that he'd left them. Hermione had returned and continued her mourning with Ron. He looked around as she entered.
"Where's Harry" He asked.
"He'll be here shortly, he just had to get something" she said.
"Oh ok, what did he want to talk to you about anyway," he asked trying to sound casual, but not doing a very good job.
"He just wanted to make sure I was ok, you know after everything that's happened" she said hoping he would believe it and let the matter drop. Harry's words still rang in her head, and they stabbed her heart and she feared that perhaps she made the biggest mistake of her life. She didn't know why but she just had a terrible feeling that something was wrong. She kept looking at the door hoping with each minute he would return, after about half an hour or so she began to get very worried.
"Ron, I'm worried, let's go check on him", she said.
"I'm sure he's fine he probably just wants to be alone right now", he replied.
"Please Ron, I can feel it, something' not right, let's just please go and check on him", she said firmly.
"OK fine let's go", he grunted.
They made their way quickly back to the headmaster's office and found him gone.
"Maybe he went back to the common room, let's go check," Hermione said.
Ron nodded and followed her as she nearly sprinted the whole way. She was beginning to get very worried now. They entered the common room and found it as Harry had, deserted. They wound up the stairs and entered the boy's dormitory and found nobody there. Hermione was quickly looking around for some sign that he'd been here, but it was Ron who found it first. He saw the letter on Harry's pillow and picked it up and quickly read it.
"Hermione, look at this." he said.
He handed her the letter and she read it, and it seemed like the world had froze. As if an icy hand had grabbed her heart and was now twisting it in her chest. She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. It wasn't possible, he couldn't really be gone. But he was and she knew why and as that fact hit her like a boulder as she began to cry. The man she loved was gone, and it was her fault, her fear had made her believe they couldn't be together. And now she didn't know if she'd ever see him again.